Mechanical movement



Oct 8, 1940 w. s. TAYLOR, JR

ECHANICL MOVEMENT Filed Sept. 5, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct 8, 1940- l A' w. s. TAYLOR, JR 2,216,990

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT Filed Sept. 5, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W12/m MJ/0M @M ma @y M Patented Oct. 8, 1940 IMI 'I `Umrl-ID STATES PArENr orrlfcEi N MECHANICAL MOVEMENT williams. Tayiar; Jr., salt Lake city, Utah i Applicatian september 5, 1939, serial Naasaszo "3o1aims`-fiol. 74-57) i This invention relates toa mechanism for converting reciprocating motion int'o rotary motion or rotary motion into reciprocating motion and isparticularlyfdirectedto a device for rotating a shaft by powerfderived' from`a`n engine of the worthy among such mechanisms is that described infmy prior Patent No. 924,509 employing a continuous double spiralgroove about the periphery of a cylinder. Engines utilizing this principle have a number of advantages as compared `to y engines employing the conventional crank-type drive. `.By an examination of the vector forces applied by a crank `actuated by a reciprocating pistonlrod, it will be at once apparent that the full power developed by the systemis not applied to the rotating member except over a relatively few.. degrees intermediate the two dead centers. Further, in addition to applying full power over practically the entire extent of the stroke, lan engine ofthe present type has fewer dead centers, each extending over a relatively short arc, for each 'stroke of the reciprocating member. I f

I-Ieretofore a number of difficulties encountered in engines employing a drive` mechanism of the present type, has prevented the practical application of x such drives. I have found that these difliculties maybe `overcome by `a proper balance of` the various members makingup the mechanism, by using a specially designed traveler and by providing a groove iny the gform of a. double spiral groove about the periphery of the rotor, said groove being peculiarly adapted to cooperate with said follower toV obtain maximum efficiency. l. I

. In order to achieve suitable balance it is necessary that an even number of travelers, each driven by` `either one or two cylinders, be employed and that said travelers be so positioned with respect to each other, that the forces ap-l plied thereby to the. rotor by each traveler, except for that component `of force which v.drives the rotor in the desired direction,- shall be equal and opposite-in nature to `forces applied to the` rotor by at least one other traveler; It is desiredthat one traveler shall pass the point of dead center at one end of the rotor whilethe other traveler isl passing the point of `dead center at the otherend of the rotor. This requires that the dead centers shall be on opposite sides of the rotor axis and that the travelers shall be angularly' spaced 180i apart with respect t'o the rotorV axis. rBY this means,`not only are the stresses incident to the 5 passageof` a traveler through the dead center equalized, but also the longitudinal thrust apvpliedrto the rotorby either .traveler iscanceled by an` equal and opposite thrust applied to the rotor by the opposing traveler. I 'l Thenovel and useful features of the improved rotor and. traveler of this invention 'cooperate with each otherand withlthe relative placing of the travelers to` provide `an engine drive which operates very `smoothly and'furnishes full power 15A available from each of the cylinders except during t'hesmall 'fraction of the `rotation of the shaft required for'the corresponding traveler to pass thepoint on dead center. I i

I Particular design and arrangement of parts by meansrof which these resultsv are obtained as, well as `other objects ,and advantages of `the present invention than those set forth above will be apparent fromfthe following discussion :of a preferred embodiment thereof when considered in connection with the attached drawings where' 1n:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken at an angle of 45"to the vertical (on line |`I of Figure-.2) through an engine embodying the novel features of this invention;

Figure 2 presents a vertical section online 2 2` ofFigure 1; 1 Figure 3 illustrates a View of the engine shownv in Figure 1 with the cover plate of aguide way for one of `the travelers removed; IFigure 4 isa diagrammatic `presentation of the rotor and travelers taken at right angles to the showing of Figure 1; and f f Figure 5 is a detail View of a traveler in per-` o:

spective, showing the novel configuration thereof ina'ccordance with the presentinvention. y

`With particular reference to Fig, 1, it will be seen that the mechanism of this invention com.-

prises a rotor IU keyedto a shaft I I, which-shaft 45= is mounted in a housingIZ by means of antifriction bearings l3 `and thrust bearings I4. If

desired a fly wheel (not shown) may be mounted on the shaft II. A suitable lubricating oil inlet I5 and convenient outlets I6 are provided in the 50 housing l2 in order that the mechanism may be operated in a bath of lubricant.v I About the periphery of rotor I0, a groove l1 is cut in the form of a `continuousl double spiral" having the opposite ends thereof axiallyV dis'- 55 posed 180 apart with respect to the rotor axis. The groove is of constant depth and the width thereof is constant throughout its length except at the said ends where it' is substantially widened for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth.

An even number of travelers, each comprising a head I8 and a shaft I9, are disposed about the rotor in pairs in such manner that the head I8 lies substantially within the groove I1. The heads of the two travelers in each pair are disposed within the groove I1 on directly opposite sides of. the axis of the rotor I0. By this means the longitudinal stress of each of the travelers is canceled by an equal and opposite longitudinal thrust appair of reciprocating members, outside the hous-` ing I2. In the embodiment here shown, each of the travelers is' connected by means of a piston rod 2|) to the piston of a reciprocating engine (not shown) at each end of the device. In the specific mechanism shown, employing four travelers, there will preferably be eight cylinders, four at each end disposed parallel to the shaft II and arranged at angular intervals of about said shaft 'I I. The termination of each of the piston rods 20 adjacent a traveler shaft I9 is provided with a flange 2.I Vadapted to cooperate with a similar flange on the opposing piston rod 20 to secure said piston rods to a cross-head 22. Bolts 23 are passed through openings in each of the flanges 2| and through an opening in the cross-head 22. Nuts 24 on the ends of said bolts secure the entire assembly in proper relationship. Each of the cross-heads 22 is preferably lined with a bearing metal 25 in a cylindrical bore thereof to receive the shaft I9 of the traveler in a manner to reduce friction to a minimum.

The traveler is positioned in the cross-head 22 for rotation with respect thereto by means of washers 26 and 21 and a nut 28 on the threaded end of shaft I9 opposite the traveler head I8. It will be noted that washer 26 may function as a shim to regulate the clearance between the bottom of groove I1 and the traveler head I8.

Guideways for the cross-heads 22; are provided by cooperation between walls 29 of the housing I2 having shoulders 30 and shoulders 32 of ra cover plate 3|. The cover plate 3| is secured to the housing by bolts 33 engaging threads tapped in wall 29. f

4It will be seen that this arrangement and combination of parts provides positive guideways for the cross-head 22 while permitting ready inspection and replacement of parts. Ease of assembly and means for inspection and replacement of the rotor are provided by forming the housing I2 with one open end adapted to be closed by a cover plate 34 secured to the housing I2 by bolts 35.

Inl order to reduce the number of dead centers it is preferred that the double spiral groove I1 shall pass at least one and one-half times about the rotor I0 in progressing from one end of said rotor to the other end, By this means one cycle of the piston rods 20 causes three revolutions of the rotor I0 while the traveler head I8 passes through two dead centers. In comparison a crank-type drive passes through six, points of dead center for the same number of revolutions. In order to insure that the traveler head I8 passes the crossing points of the two oppositely directed spirals of the groove I1 in proper manner, the said head I8 must be of a length at least equal to twice the width of the groove I1, preferably at least three times the width of said groove. 'Ihe edges at the ends of the head I8 are tapered in the manner shown and the upper corners of said edges are rounded off as may be seen in Fig. 5.

Using a traveler of the type described it is necessary that those points in the groove where the helical pitch is varied, adjacentthe dead centers, be widened to a substantial extent inorder to provide room for the traveler to pass through the, point of dead center. Such a construction is shown in` Fig. 4. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present device is capable of efiicient operation to convert rotary motion into reciprocating motion by applying power to shaft I I in order that rotor I0 becomes the driving member and the rods 2|] become driven members through the medium of groove I1, the traveler and crosshead 22.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a frame member, a cylindrical rotor mounted for rotation in said frame member having a continuous double spiral groove about the periphery thereof consisting of a right hand spiral and a left hand spiral joined at their ends, each spiral of said groove making at least one and one-half turns about said rotor and having its opposite ends on opposite sides of the axis of said rotor, whereby each of said spirals crosses the other of said spirals at least twice, those portions of the groove at each end of the rotor vwhere the two spirals are joined being ofv constantly varying helical pitch to provide a smooth turn in the groove and being substantially wider than the remainder of the groove, an even number of traveler element-s positioned in said groove in pairs, a number of reciprocating elements equal to the number of said traveler elements mounted for reciprocation in said frame parallel to the axis of said rotor, said reciprocating elements being mounted in pairs, the two elements of each of said pairs being on oppositek sides of the axis of said rotor, independent means to supply power to each of said reciprocating elements, and means operatively connecting each of said travelers to one of said reciprocating elements permitting rotary motion of said traveler with respect to said reciprocating element about an axis lying substantially in a line which is a diameter of said rotor.

2. In a device of the class described, a frame member, a cylindrical rotor mounted for rotation in said frame member having a continuous double spiral groove about the periphery thereof consisting of a right hand spiral and a left hand spiral joined at their ends, each spiral of said groove makingv at least one and o-ne-half turns about said rotor and having its opposite ends on opposite sides of the axis of said rotor, whereby each of said spirals crosses the other of said spirals at least twice, those portions of the groove at each end of the rotor where the two spirals are joined being of constantly varying helical pitch to provide a smooth turn in the groove and being substantially wider than the remainder of the groove, an even number of traveler elements positioned in said groove in pairs, a number of reciprocating elements equal to the number of said traveler elements mounted for reciprocation in said frame parallel to the axis of said rotor, said reciprocating elements being mounted in pairs, the 'two elements; .aof each yof said pairs means for operatively connecting each of said travelers to one of said reciprocating elements permitting rotary motion of said traveler with respect to said recipoc'ating element about an axis lying substantially in a line which is a diameter of said rotor, and independent power means associated with each of said reciprocating elements to cause reciprocation thereof, each of said traveler elements comprising a head of a length equal to atleast twice its Width and having a concave face, t-he longitudinal sides of said head normal to said ,facer being substantially straight and parallel throughout the greater portion of the length thereof and tapering inwardly at the ends, the corners of said head remote from said face at the respective ends of said head being rounded.

3. In a device of the class described, a frame member, a cylindrical rotor mounted for rotation in said frame member having a continuous double spiral groove about the periphery thereof consisting of a right hand spiral and a left hand spiral joined at their ends, each spiral of said groove making at least 11/2 turns about said rotor and having its opposite ends on opposite sides of the axis of said rotor, whereby each of said `spirals crosses the other of said spirals at least twice, those portions of the groove at each end of the rotor where the two spirals are joined'being of constantly varying helical pitch to provide a smooth turn in the groove and being substantially wider than the remainder of .the groove, an even number of traveler elements positioned in said groove in pairs, a number of reciprocating elements equal to the number of said traveler elements mounted for reciprocation in said frame parallel to the axis of said rotor, said reciprocating elements being mounted in pairs, the two elements of each of said pairs being on opposite sides of the axis of said rotor, means operatively connecting each of said travelers to one of said reciprocating elements permitting rotary motion of said traveler with respect to said reciprocating element about an axis lying substantially in a line which is a diameter of said rotor, and means to supplyv power to each of said reciproeating elements on each side of said means operatively connecting said traveler to said reciproeating element.

WILLIAM S. TAYLOR, JR. 

